between 2010 and 2012 when you lost lois lerner emails and say you got us. we got to come clean. >> the committee on the i.r.s. -- the entire hearing is available on the c-span video library. live now to the u.s. house. members taking up a bill allowing students to get federal aid for test projects that provide college degrees. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] for for the freedom to pursue your will for our lives and for the honor of service to the people and nations of the earth we give you thanks. we thank you that we live in a land of opportunity and we pray that you would help us to be

mindful of opportunities to help, to share, to protect, to welcome and to proclaim what is just and what is good. we ask your blessing on this house, this government, and all those who serve the common good . by your holy spirit, grant that they might have the courage to do just that. and may all that we do or say give honor and glory to you, almighty father, now and forever, amen. the speaker: the chair has examined the journal of the last day's proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1 the journal stands approved. the pledge of allegiance today will be led by the gentleman from texas, mr. johnson. mr. johnson: please join me. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under indivisible, with liberty

and justice for all. the speaker: without objection, the gentleman from michigan, mr. kildee, is recognized for one minute. mr. kildee: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to recognize reverend matthew slam, pastor of bay city's westminster presbyterian church in my district who delivered this morning's opening and very inspiring prayer. i am pleased to welcome pastor slam and his family to the u.s. capitol and to thank him for his continued service to our community. westminster presbyterian church is one of the oldest churches in bay city, helping to share love, faith and hope with its congregants and others across michigan. in addition to serving his congregation, reverend shramm served as the youngest ever chair of the presbyterian mission agency board, the ministry agency and the board of trustees for the nation's

largest body of presbyterians. rev rands shramm not only serves as the church's alter but also in the community as well. he serves on bay county's federal emergency food and shelter board, the do care enrichment center advisory board and the mcclarne bay medical region's medical ethics advisory board. pastor shramm, on behalf of the u.s. congress, thank you for being here today, i hope that your uplifting words that you shared with us will give us the courage to work together in pursuit of the common good for all americans. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the chair will entertain up to 15 further requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. johnson: thank you, mr.

speaker. i've been to the border many times but i never expected to witness what i saw last friday. a real man-made crisis, the president's failure to secure our border and uphold the rule of law has led to this mess and now he's failing to deal with it. while president obama's nowhere to be found, texas governor rick perry has made stopping the crisis his number one priority. i commend him on his latest decision to deploy the texas national guard to help secure the southern border. i'm also grateful for the men and women working around the clock to control the crisis, securing the border will help send a clear message to countries that if you enter illegally you will not be allowed to stay and that's the thing to do. we are a nation of laws and there is a process of coming to america. texans and the american people deserve real border security now. i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. sires: mr. speaker, i rise today to commemorate park and recreation month. this month plays an important role in engaging and educating americans on the many ventures of parks and recreation facility ansd how they play in the vital -- and how they play a role in the vital health of our communities. this month aims to connect americans with their natural outdoor environment flew ercise, recreation, relation ax -- relaxation and congregation. and we must have the design management and the parks and recreation places such as city planners, nonprofit organizations, parks and recreational managers. ny deal with detear or ating

-- deteriorating parks. nearly three out of every 10 adults in our country do not spend time outside of -- on a daily basis. i believe that neighborhoods should have access to parks which is why i introduced h.r. 2424. this legislation would help rehabilitate existing and develop new community parks and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from indiana seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the chamber for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from indiana is recognized. mrs. brooks: mr. speaker, i rise today to express my opposition to the e.p.a.'s proposed waters of the u.s. rule. this rule will dramatically expand the clean water act's jurisdiction by changing

current law that limits e.p.a.'s authority to navigable waters. under this new rule, e.p.a. authority will apply to any body of water that has a bed, a bank or a high water mark. hoosier farmers explained to me this new rule means that large puddles left after a storm will fall under the e.p.a.'s jurisdiction. farmers may have to get a permit to form even the most basic task on their homeland. my constituents brought me these photos to show me what changing the rule will mean. as you can see, this is not a stream. it's not a navigable body of lawyer or a long-standing body of water. it should not be regulated by the e.p.a. it happened just after a large rainfall. mr. speaker, this rule change will prevent farmers from doing their jobs, put people out of work and increase food prices. it's bad for our nation's landowners. it's bad for our nation's farmers and it's bad for americans trying to put an affordable meal on the table.

mr. speaker, i ask e.p.a. to withdraw this rule and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut seek recognition? >> request permission to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. courtney: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, southeastern connecticut last friday suffered a terrible loss with the sudden passing of bob hamilton, a longtime military affairs reporter for the new london day. a well years, bob had deserved reputation for intelligence and fairness and that's the reason why the u.s. navy selected him as the first reporter to be in a combat submarine in the opening days of operation enduring freedom, when the opening tomahawk missiles brought down the taliban regime. in the last few years, bob has been director of communications at electric boat ship yard and was part of the effort to boost submarine shipbuilding that resulted in the largest contract in the navy to build virginia class submarines at two submarines a year. he passed away suddenly last friday leaving his wife,

kathryn, and three children at a terrible loss. i want to, press condolences to kathryn and salute the great example that bob set in terms of good journalism, great advocacy for the national defense and for being an outstanding human being. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition? >> i ask permission to address the house for one minute and to rrks my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i want to highlight a tragic story that emerged last week that captures how the failures of the veterans administration, those failures are hurting our veterans. mr. coffman: for two years, vietnam veteran michael susana, from graniteville, new york, a double amp tee, had been waiting for a new wheelchair from the v.a. his request was ignored.

on july 7, his wheelchair fell apart, again, while he was shopping at his local lowe's home improvement center. what happens next captures american compassion and concern for our nation's veterans. three of lowe's employees immediately jumped into action and said to the veteran, we're going to make this chair like new. 45 minutes after the store closed, they delivered on their promise. these three men embodied the american spirit by immediately helping this veteran because they knew it was the right thing to do and because they knew this veteran had made tremendous sacrifices in defense of their freedom. these three men should be commended for their selfless action and the v.a. -- and the v.a. should be embarrassed for its failure to meet the needs of this veteran. mr. speaker, i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized for. mr. garcia: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, over the last few months, we've seen an unprecedented number of unaccompanied children coming across our border. while many of my colleagues want to rail about the lack of border enforcement, these kids are immediately being caught and turned over to the border patrol, just throwing more money at the border isn't going to fix the problem. sending the national guard to the border isn't going to do it either. in fact, it's pure political posturing. what we need is comprehensive immigration reform now. fixing our broken immigration system will clear the backlog so we can process these children fairly and efficiently. instead of adding $18 billion, we already spend on immigration enforcement a year, we need a comprehensive strategy based on

reliable metrics to allocate resources where they are actually needed. this crisis isn't going to be solved by scare tactics. these are children. we need a wide ranging plan to ensure a fair and humane treatment of the children and the long-term strategy to address the root causes of the crisis. thank you, mr. chairman. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i just visited the texas-mexico border for the third time. mr. marchant: i saw firsthand a man-made crisis, a crisis made by the administration that urges amnesty. i spent time with our border agents. they are doing an incredible job under the extreme circumstances, despite their hard work, wave after wave of illegal immigrants is coming in

from central america. i also witnessed the state of texas department of public safety's heroic efforts to combat drug trafficking. seasoneding these illegal immigrants back -- sending these illegal immigrants back to their home country promptly is the most humane things we can do. failure to do so is only encouraging others to pursue the false promise of amnesty. those in texas demand a permanent border solution. until our president supports this major part of the solution, he will remain a major source of the problem. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the entlelady from illinois seek recognition? he gentlelady is recognized.

ms. kelly: the jump-start action plan focuses on creating jobs for the 21st century, empowering americans to manage work and family and making higher education affordable. that same day, the majority showed where their priorities lie by handing out unpaid debt raising tax breaks that will benefit the wealthiest americans. there is something wrong when folks can fight so vigorously on the house floor to protect corporate persons but fail to defend real, unemployed americans by passing-on-unemployment insurance bill and raise -- passing an unemployment insurance bill and raising the minimum wage. i discussed how congress can grow manufacturing and job creation. we discussed the need of investing in american workers by providing quality training, the need to invest in infrastructure and how fair wages and a skilled work force will help restore the american dream. i urge my colleagues to stop legislating for the 1% of americans and help jump-start and grow the middle class.

i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. >> mr. speaker, the border security caucus met yesterday and many of us have concerns about the administration's immigration proposals. we feel the president is trying to make congress take ownership of the border cry sills. mr. smith: we should reject that by pointing out that the president right now today could stop the illegal surge by enforcing current immigration laws. we should put the well-being of the children first and encourage them to stay in their home countries with their families. the president's allowing over half a million people illegally in the united states to stay indefinitely, it's enticed tens of thousands more to undertake a dangerous journey across the southern border. the president's policies are deadly. congress should not send any immigration bill to the senate

unless we know what is coming back. otherwise it's just a trojan horse waiting to be used by those who favor amnesty. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. higgins: mr. speaker, today i will meet with the niagara military affairs council here in washington, d.c., to discuss the future of the niagara falls air reserve stathes. the niagara falls air reserve station is critical not only to western new york but to our nation's security. niagara falls air reserve station employs over 3,500 people and has an annual economic impact of over $200 million. next month the station will start construction on a new c-130 flight simulator which i was proud to fight for with the west new york delegation. additionally, customs and border protections has chosen the base as a preferred location for construction of a new border patrol station. mr. speaker, i will continue to fight to make sure that the mission at the niagara falls air reserve station is preserved and that it is

allowed to diversify through innovative partnerships. continued investment in the base and expansion of the mission ensure that the niagara falls air station will remain a fixture in our community for many years to come. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. the house is considering a lawsuit to stop the president from unilaterally rewriting the obamacare statute. some have criticized the lawsuit by saying that if house republicans are opposed to the obamacare individual mandate, why are they suing president obama for delaying that mandate? the constitution requires that if the president wants to change a law, he must come to congress and ask for a change. he did not do that in this case, even though house republicans agreed with the underlying change. the case is about following constitutional process. another objection is that

president obama has not issued as many executive orders as other presidents. but the issue is not the numbers of executive orders, but the impact of the executive orders. this lawsuit is about constitutional governance, not politics. we must maintain the checks and balances established by the constitution. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. veasey: mr. speaker, i rise to talk about the democrats' plan to get the middle class working in america again. the democrats' make it in america plan will boost job growth by giving employers tax incentives for jobs created in the u.s. it also raises the minimum wage and updates our current infrastructure. i want the constituents that i serve in the dallas-fort worth metroplex to know that we are here working hard for america to bring back these good-paying jobs.

and also, mr. speaker, i wanted everyone to know that i started my initiative where i work spending time at different jobs in the district. this month i worked at a concrete batch plant as a labor at a downtown construction site in dallas. not only do the constituents that i serve get to see -- not only do i get to see what constituents that i serve go through every day out on the job site, but this also highlights just how important rebuilding our infrastructure is to the u.s. economy. let's give middle class americans a jump-start and continue to work on policies that expand our economy and get americans back to work. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from minnesota seek recognition? mrs. bachmann: i ask unanimous consent to addresses the house -- to address the house for one minute, permission to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from minnesota is recognized. mrs. bachmann: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, it is such a thrill to be a member of the united states house of representatives. we are privileged to represent the great people in our

district and i'm obviously very biased that for eight years i've been privileged to represent what are the greatest people i think in the united states. we truly embody in minnesota's sixth district the great good humored full values of this country that are represented in that district. this is a feel-good story, mr. speaker. i rise today to honor the people of st. steven, minnesota, as they're celebrating their 1 u.n.th birthday as -- 100th birthday as a community. it was in the late 1800's when slow convenientian settler -- slovenias -- slovenian settlers came to minnesota. it's what america refers to as lake wobegon. st. steven boasts a very close -nit communities of families and farmers and business people. it's fittlingly called the town motto which is a place to call home. and that it truly is.

st. steven is a shining example of smalltown life in the united states. congratulations, st. steven, on your 100th birthday, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? ms. hahn: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california is recognized. ms. hahn: thank you, mr. speaker. on average -- far too many of our young girls have fallen victim to modern day slavery. last fall i witnessed human trafficing firsthand during a visit to costa rica with my colleague ted poe. the stories we heard were heart-wrenching. girls 8, 9, 10, 13-year-olds were being victimize and abused by grown men. this is not just a problem outside our borders, this is happening this our -- in our backyards. in my community in los angeles, african-american girls are overwhelmingly at a greater risk, making up 92% of youth sex trafficking victims. this is alarming and shameful. on the average, victims are

recruited between the ages of 12 and 14. these girls are victims, not criminals, and we must do everything in our power to protect them. recently we've seen a paradigm shift in the protection of these victims. l.a. district attorney jackie lacey has implemented the first step diversion program which will give victims the opportunity to rebuild their lives through counseling and education and alternatives to prosecution. programs like this and my colleague karen bass' legislation that is on the floor today will help protect victims of human trafficking and not punish them. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition? >> seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute, to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kansas is recognized. >> mr. speaker, senator bob dole, born and raised in russell, kansas, and a graduate of the university of kansas, has spent his life in the service of the american people. and today remains the embodiment of public service. mr. yoder: on tuesday kansans from all over the sunflower

state, wish him a happy 91st birthday. enlisted in the army in world war ii and was stationed in italy. while leading an assault on a german machine gun nest, his unit was heavily fired upon. without hesitation, senator dole courageously returned to help rescue an injured radioman, he himself suffering light-threatening injuries. many army medics didn't think he would survive. with a strong spirit and steadfast resolve common to many kansans, he not only survived but returned home to the sunflower state and spent many years in elected service on behalf of kansans, including in the state house, as a member of the house of representatives, the u.s. senate and runs as vice president and president of the united states. mr. speaker, it is with great sense of pride to wish my good friend and fellow jayhawk, senator bob dole, a happy 91st birthday and many more to come. happy birthday, senator dole. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from new hampshire eek recognition?

the gentlelady from new mexico is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. earlier tonight in i was honored to bring together new hampshire business leaders to discuss the importance of the export-import bank and call for its immediate re-authorization. ms. kuster: i thank leaders from b.a.e., boil energy, conductive components and other granite state employers for joining this important discussion on how supporting u.s. exports grows our economy and creates good jobs here at home. the export-import bank provides essential risk management services to american businesses, selling their products in an unstable global economy. dozens of granite state firms have used these services, which have supported over $350 million in new hampshire exports in recent years. and in new hampshire's second congressional district, the top destination for american exports is china. because the export-import bank, more consumers across the world are buying goods stamped made

in america and more american families are able to make it here in america. granite state exporters like mountain corporation, arch energy and vacuum are counting on congress to act. let's renew this commonsense program, grow our economy, reduce the deficit and help create jobs. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? the gentleman from texas is recognized. >> i rise today as a member of the new congressional state medicaid expansion caucus and i call on my colleagues to join us in encouraging states to close the coverage gaps by expanding medicaid. texas, my home state, has the option to accept federal medicaid funding to provide affordable health insurance to more than 1.4 million uninsured texans. mr. green: for many of these citizens there's no affordable option as long as texas refuses the federal funds. texas could extend the

insurance through medicaid to residents with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level, less than 28,000 for a family of -- $28,000 for a family of three. 58% of the uninsured in our state would benefit and if texas does accept funding the federal government will virtually pay for all the cost in the expansion. closing the coverage gap is the right thing to do and sound investments for the state, creating a healthy work force, strengthingen -- strengthening our state's economy and improving our health care system. i urge my colleagues to work with their home states and encourage medicaid expand and -- expansion and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from rhode island seek recognition? mr. cicilline: unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from rhode island is recognized. mr. cicilline: mr. speaker, i rise today to recognize the employee, staff and leadership at a facility in rhode island. i'm proud that this facility, which supports 90 jobs, is located -- located in my home district. led by the plant manager, the

90 workers in cumberland produce high-quality power line cables that are sold all across america and the entire world. in may i toured the manufacturing plant as part of my congress at your company series. i was delighted to meet with their talented employees and discuss ways to dwrow rhode island's manufacturing sector -- grow rhode island's manufacturing sector and support economisting manufactures. i'm thrilled they're expanding their company. they've made a smart investment. i look forward to touring their new facility once it's completed and thank eric and the rest of his team for working to strengthen -- strengthen rhode island's manufacturing sector. this is another great example of why it's important to make things in america, make things in rhode island. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from florida seek recognition? the gentlelady from florida is recognized.

ms. wilson: mr. speaker, over 100 days have gone by and the kidnapped school girls in nigeria are still not home. the consequences of their absence and the lack of formal action to find the girls are unmanageable. -- unimaginable. 11 parents of the abducted girls have died, died from the heartbreak, died for from fighting for their girls, died from international silence. a father slipped into a comba, repeating his daughter's name until he pass wead -- passed away. these stories are real. in the meantime borks harm has continued to kidnap more girls. last week they took over a whole town. this issue is real. we cannot ignore boko haram and the polite of these missing girls -- plight of these missing girls. , with a tweet and a hashtag you are showing the nigeriaan people, boko haram, the missing girls and the world that we have not forgotten. we have to keep tweeting, we have to keep talking.

this is not an african problem, this is a world problem. these are our girls and we will bring them home. i urge you every day to join my twitter storm and tweet # joinrepwilson and #bringbackourgirls. tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentlelady from california seek recognition? the gentlelady from california is recognized. mrs. davis: thank you, thank you, mr. speaker. right now students all across america are enjoying their much-earned summer vacation. we all know the enormous pressures today's youth face and it hardly seems they get a chance to breathe anymore. and yet students all across the country are attending college in record numbers. but that unfortunately is where the good news stops. as our college students set nool their internships for the summer, many are running into old classmates who recently graduated and all of them are asking the same question.

how do you live with such debt? we face a student debt crisis of truly mind-blowing proportions. but instead of working to get middle class families a fair chance at making college affordable, some of my colleagues are arguing over what to sue the president for. later today we'll vote for a tax credit, it's unpaid for and that will barely make a dent in what is quickly becoming the economic challenge of our era. i ask my colleagues, all of us who are talking often constantly about the need to care for future generations, is this really the best we can do? the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the entleman from texas is

recognized. >> i thank the gentleman from texas. mr. speaker, it's very rare you have a constituent who reaches the century mark. mr. barton: but i have one, a young lady named helen maddox in arlington, texas, who will be celebrating her 100th birthday later this week. helen was not born a native texan but she got there as soon as she could. she and her husband moved to arlington, texas, over half a century ago, and she has lived there ever since. her husband is now deceased. helen has been very active in the republican women in numerous civic clubs and has been a strong personal friend of mine and also a political supporter. she will be celebrating her 100th birthday this week, and on behalf of the united states congress, i want to wish her the absolute very best birthday and hope that the next 100 is

as happy and positive as her first 100 has been. happy birthday, helen maddox of arlington, texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i rise today to urge speaker boehner to allow a vote on the bring jobs home act. i co-sponsored this bill to help businesses create jobs in my home district and across america. mr. ruiz: in the cochella valley there is high unemployment rate. in some areas over 17%. the bring jobs home act will create critical tax incentives for businesses to bring jobs back to the united states and close tax loopholes for corporations who ship jobs overseas. over the last decade, america lost six million manufacturing jobs. that's millions of jobs families can gain if congress does their job and votes to bring jobs home.

congress must put hardworking families above corporations that ship jobs overseas. this week the senate will vote on this legislation. the house must act. mr. speaker, congress must put people before politics, solutions above ideology and allow a vote on the bring jobs home act and put people back to work. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back his time. for what purpose does the gentlelady from nevada seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from nevada is recognized. ms. titus: thank you, mr. speaker. you know, everyone deserves the opportunity to travel and explore the many incredible destinations located throughout our country, but individuals with disabilities, however, face much greater difficulties when they try to arrange travel. now, las vegas, my district, is a world leader in disability access. we have more handicap accessible guest rooms than any

other american city. our casinos offer gambling tables and slot machines designed for wheelchair users and our venues have designed handicap seating. i introduced the travel and tourism for all act that would require the national council on disability to conduct a review of existing disability standards in the tourism and hospitality industries and provide recommendations to help congress ensure that people with disabilities are able to enjoy traveling throughout the u.s. this act would ensure that we continue to set the international standard for disability accommodation in the hospitality industry and it will attract tourist fathers other parts of the world where a-- tourists from other parts of the world where accommodations are less. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. for what purpose does the gentlelady from connecticut seek recognition? >> i ask permission to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlelady from connecticutted is -- connecticut is recognized. >> i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 5085, the support heroes.lies of fallen ms. esty: the brave men and women who serve our country put their lives on the line every day and they deserve to know that america will support and care for any loved ones they leave behind. that's why i salute organizations like the u.s.o. and the tragedy assistance program for survivors, known as taps. i salute them for providing assistance to the families of fallen heroes. but we can do even more to help them. my bipartisan bill would create a families of fallen heroes stamp. directing proceeds to the u.s.o. and to taps for supporting our military families in their time of need. let's honor the families of our fallen heroes and show them that our country will be there when they need us most. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from connecticut yields back her time. and for what purpose does the gentlelady from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: by the direction of the committee on rules, i call up house resolution 677 and ask for its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 124. house resolution 677, resolved, that at any time after adoption of this resolution the speaker may, pursuant to clause 2-b of rule 18, declare the house resolved into the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of the bill h.r. 3136, to establish a demonstration program for competency-based education. the first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. general debate shall be confined to the bill and amendments specified in this section and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the

committee on education and the work force. after general debate the bill shall be considered for mendment under the five minute -- five-minute rule. in lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on education and the workforce now printed in the bill, it shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the five-minute rule an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of rules committee print 113-52. that amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read. all points of order against that amendment in the nature of a substitute are waived. no amendment to that amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be in order except those printed in part a of the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution. each such amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the

proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the house or in the committee of the whole. all points of order against such amendments are waived. at the conclusion of consideration of the bill for amendment the committee shall rise and report the bill to the house with such amendments as may have been adopted. any member may demand a separate vote in the house on any amendment adopted in the committee of the whole to the bill or to the amendment in the nature of a substitute made in order as original text. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit with or without instructions. section 2, at any time after adoption of this resolution the speaker may, pursuant to clause 2-b of rule 18, declare the house resolved into the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of the bill h.r.

4984, to amend the loan counseling requirements under the higher education act of 1965, and for other purposes. the first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. general debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on education and the work force. after general debate the bill shall be considered for amendment under the five-minute rule. in lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on education and the work force now printed in the bill, it shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the five-minute rule an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of rules committee print 113-53. that amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered as read. all points of order against that amendment in the nature of

a substitute are waived. no amendment to that amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be in order except those printed in part b of the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution. each such amendment may be offered only in the order printed in the report, may be offered only by a member designated in the report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the report equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the house or in the committee of the whole. all points of order against such amendments are waived. at the conclusion of consideration of the bill for amendment the committee shall rise and report the bill to the house with such amendments as may have been adopted. any member may demand a separate vote in the house on any amendment adopted in the committee of the whole to the

bill or to the amendment in the nature of a substitute made in order as original text. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit with or ithout instructions. the speaker pro tempore: the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from -- the gentlewoman from north carolina, ms. foxx, is recognized for one hour. ms. foxx: i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from colorado, mr. polis, pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. during consideration of this resolution all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks . the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered, and the gentlelady is recognized for as much time as she wishes to use. ms. foxx: mr. speaker, house resolution 677 provides for structured rules of h.r. 3136, the advancing competency-based

demonstration project act, and h.r. 4984, the empowering students through enhanced financial counseling act. the rules committee was pleased to work with members of both sides of the aisle to provide for floor consideration of a number of their amendments. the resolution makes in order 11 amendments to h.r. 3136 and seven amendments to h.r. 4984. in total, the committee made in order nine democrat amendments, three republican amendments and six bipartisan amendments. as a member of the rules committee, it's a privilege to see the number of amendments we've been able to make in order this congress and the openness of the legislative process. my hope is that we will continue to work together in a bipartisan fashion to advance good legislation. my colleagues on the house education and the work force committee and have been working to re-authorize the higher education act. we've held 14 hearings and

invited dozens of witnesses to discuss a wide variety of issues facing students, families and institutions of higher education. since the last re-authorization of the higher education act, the landscape has been constantly evolving with the student population rapidly changing and institutions developing more cost-effective modes for delivering academic content. the upcoming re-authorization provides policymakers an opportunity to improve the law and strengthen america's postsecondary system to ensure federal policies are flexible enough to allow future developments and invasions to occur. base -- innovations to occur. based on feedback and the committee's desire to reform the law in a way that will assist students in obtaining an affordable higher education that leads to employment opportunities, the committee will promote reforms that adhere to the following principles. empowering students and families to make informed

decisions, simplifying and improving student aid, promoting innovation, access and completion and ensuring strong accountability in a limited federal role. reform will help more americans achieve their dreams of a postsecondary education and help secure a more prosperous future for the country. the rule before us today provides for consideration of two bills that will inform the re-authorization process. h.r. 3136 creates a demonstration project for competency-based education. competency-based education allows students to demonstrate what they already know and learn at their own pace by mastering specific skills and knowledge that translate to real-world application for their degrees. h.r. 4984 ensures that students have the information needed to make good choices with their financial aid dollars and

understand how to use that money well by increased financial counseling and services. education is a great opportunity in this country, and we have the most diverse system of postsecondary education in the world with more than 6,000 public-private nonprofit and proprietary institutions of higher education. this diversity affords students from all backgrounds an opportunity to find an institution that meets their unique needs and helps them pursue personal goals of continuing their education. . the rule before us today starts that reform process and i urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the rule and the underlying bill. mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from north carolina reserves her time. for what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition? mr. polis: i thank the gentlelady for yielding me the customary 30 minutes and i yield myself such time as i may

consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. polis: mr. speaker, i strongly support the two underlying bills, hrmentrlt -- h.r. 3136, the advancing competency -baseded education project and demonstration act of 2013, and h.r. 4984, the empowering students tone chance financial counseling act. i do rise in opposition to the rule, for reasons that i will go into, regarding preventing us from addressing many of the major issues within public education and higher education. while i'm supportive of these two bills, i'm dispinlted that the house is not embarking on a full re-authorization of the higher education act. we can nip around the edges and certainly in a constructive way to reduce costs, as these bills do, but none of them are game-changers or dare i say even a substantial part of making college more affordable, like we could to the re-authorization of the higher education act. since the last

re-authorization, in 2007, higher education has become more and more expensive. mr. speaker, the cost of attending a university pursuant to has risen by almost five times the rate of inflation since 1983. at the very time that an advanced degree is more important than ever for somebody to have a good job in today's increasingly complex global economy, it's getting further and further from the price range and affordability for american middle class families. while a four-year university isn't always the best choice, some form of secondary education is increasingly important, whether that's commune college or a certification -- community college or a certification program. only by pursuing a full-scale re-authorization of the higher education act, soliciting ideas from democrats and republicans across the aisle, can we truly be able to help put college more in reach for students. we need to, as many of my

colleagues from across the aisle say, examine how or if many of the student loan programs only contribute to the increasingly high costs of college education. we need to take ideas from our side of the aisle, including some that i co-sponsor regarding reducing textbook costs or looking at new and better ways we can look at payment for student loans. through a comprehensive re-authorization, we can streamline payments by replacing our complicated student loan system with a simplified income-based program which is part of a bipartisan bill that i sponsor with congressman petri called the compel act. we can also -- excel act. can also fix the transfer program. furthermore, representative hinojosa's open textbook legislation would help keep costs down so students can concentrate on their studies rather than having to work additional jobs just to be able to afford the textbooks.

finally, we can make sure that we improve accountability for colleges and universities that are not serving students well, so that our limited federal resources are used in a way to provide incentives to states and universities that support public education and they keep public education, higher education affordable. mr. speaker, in addition to the higher education act, which this congress does not appear to be moving forward on and this bill does not allow amendments to, our nation's landmark kindergarten through 12th grade education law, the elementary and secondary education act, sometimes referred to as no child left behind, is long overdue to be replaced with a any re-authorization. and this week i was pleased to hear the president sign another work product of this body, the work force investment and opportunity act, another long overdue bipartisan bill to improve our work force development system, that many of my colleagues on the education and work force committee have worked on for many years. that bill started in a partisan way. the first iteration on the

house floor received zero democratic votes. the compromise, however, received the support of every democrat and nearly every republican. and passed by a margin of 415-6. just a few months ago we passed bipartisan bills to substantially improve the charter schools program and the federal investment in education research with a strong bipartisan vote. so, mr. speaker, this body has shown it can pass bipartisan education work force bills, these two bills coming before us today are additional examples of that. so why haven't we? undertaken the hard work to make a full-fledged bipartisan effort to re-authorize no child left behind? like with the work force investment act, we had a partisan version come to the floor, not a single democrat voted for it. just as not a single democrat voted for the first iteration of the work force investment act. anybody can pass partisan legislation that no one else supports. but that's not a constructive step towards law making.

law making entails making the tough decisions. working with the other side, create a work product where, you know, again, we had a 415-6 vote, with the no child left behind, whether it's that high or not, let's get a majority of democrats and republicans working together to re-authorize it. they began that hard work in the senate health committee, where they have a bipartisan education reform bill. they've not brought to the full floor of the senate. but at least they began that work of working in a bipartisan manner towards replacing no child left behind with a new federal education law. this bill, which passed the house, the student success act, the republican-only education bill, was opposed by democrats for many reasons. first of all, it would have locked in education funding at sequester levels. secondly, it would have locked many of our critical programs to support stem and literacy and the arts, language learners

and students trapped in failing students with little recourse for action. it was imposed not only by democrats, but by the chamber of commerce, the business round table, and almost every major education organization. this process was unlike all other previous efforts to re-authorize, esea, when under the strong leadership of my colleagues, like now speaker boehner and ranking member miller, democrats and republicans came together to strengthen and improve our education system. as ranking member miller enters retirement with his last year in the house, we need to learn from his success in building consensus and forging compromise to keeping students across our country first, to ensure that we get the most bang for our buck, with our limited federal investment, and students and young people receive the skills they need to compete in the 21st century work force. i urge my colleagues to recognize that our opportunity to build on the success of no child left behind, which shined a light on achievement gaps for

minority and low-income students, is now more than ever critical. but just as it had successes, it also had failures that is p that were recognized -- failures that were recognized across the aisle. the formula for adequate yearly progress is depended -- defended by nobody and yet continues to be the law of the land. i highway -- i hope that this body can come together just as we have for w.i.a., for charter schools, for esra, just as we're doing for the bills we're we're considering today, to update and improve the ee -- esea. that's what our students deserve, it's what we were elected to do. rather than let these bills we're passing today stand out there as an aberration, let us build upon them, let them form momentum for higher ed re-authorization and esea re-authorization, so we can begin the substantive work that the voters of this country have hired us to do. despite the fact that we're not considering a full re-authorization of the higher education act, despite the fact that we're not considering a full re-authorization of no child left behind, i'm

nevertheless pleased that we 3136, a ering h.r. bill that i co-authored with representative salmon. this bill allows innovative colleges and universities to shorten the time and cost to earn a degree, through self-happen-paced programs based on learning. this allows students to work at their own pace and earn credit by mastering the knowledge, rather than by sitting in a seat and, let's be honest, sometimes not even being awake. this growing trend of innovation around competency -based education is particularly important because it provided a way to increase innovation and reduce costs of a college degree. today's students come to college with different backgrounds, learn at different rates, at different times of day, the competent-based education allows to tailor. by measuring and assessing competencies or what the student can demonstrate that they know, students are

guaranteed to matriculate with the knowledge of the skills they need to master. businesses will know what to expect upon hiring these students and students will be incentivized to learn as quickly and inexpensively as they can. while the department of education currently has some latitude to explore this model through experimental sites programs, the current regulations need to be updated and streamlined to better support these innovative programs, which is what this bill does. i'm proud to say that in my district, institutions like colorado state university's global campus are demonstrating that online public universities with competency-based programs can lead the way in attracting, educating and graduating young learners, adult learners to succeed in the 21st century work force. by c.s.u. global and programs like it need to adhere to existing higher education structure which limits the schedules of students and limits when students can achieve financial aid because traditional higher education is based on the carneigie unit or

credit hour, rather than what the students learn. as congress considers the re-authorization of the higher education act, this project, this innovation that this bill will unleash is more crucial than ever. in 1998 congress recognized the importance of the growing trend towards distance education and the opportunity for students to learn online. now once again we have the opportunity to learn from, to study and to innovate around competency-based education, to learn about the changing that -- changes that we need to make, to maintain quality, to reduce costs, and to increase the number of students that have access to these programs. that's why i was proud to work with representative salmon, chairman kline, ranking member miller, ms. foxx on this legislation, which would permit institutions to waive certain regulations that stand in the way of them adopting a competency-based model. we'll learn a lot, we'll learn what works, we'll learn what doesn't work. they're both important. as we seek to expand innovation

across the higher education sector to reduce costs and crease quality. this legislation will allow congress and the general public to learn more about the opportunities that competency-based education offers for students, to increase access and opportunity in higher education. i'm also pleased the house is considering under this rule h.r. 4984, the empowering students through enhanced financial counseling act. financial counseling is an important method for students to learn about the most effective and least expensive way for them to finance their higher education. both before, during and after their college experience. many students simply don't have the knowledge or the resources or the help to make sound decisions in their own -- interests about their opportunities to finance their postsecondary education. don't degree that we provide a high quality standard of counseling, first generation

students in particular are the students who stand to benefit the most from improving access to higher education and they often lose out. h.r. 4984 makes many improvements to our financial counseling obligations under current law. the bill ensures that all students and parents who participate in the federal loan program receive proactive counseling each year. that's personalized to meet their own financial needs. students will receive information about the terms and conditions of pell grants and various other loan programs. the bipartisan bill also directs the secretary of education to create and disseminate online tools to provide annual loan counseling, helping to bring our financial aid counseling system into the 21st century and put useful relevant information into the hands of students. one place in particular the financial counseling can play an important role is when determining whether to take out federal loans or private student loans. private student loans often have variable interest rates as high or higher than 14%, they're not eligible for the loan forgiveness options that come with federal student loans. but half of private student loan borrowers borrow less than

they could have in federal staffer loans. so without realizing it in many cases, people are turning to the higher price, less beneficial private marketplace when they still have unused capacity on the federal student loan side. it's clear that there's an information gap and the students need information about the terms and conditions of these loans. that's why i'm thrilled that this underlying bill contains an important part of my know before you owe act which i first introduced last session and reintroduced this session along with reptsive bishop and schwartz, to ensure that financial counseling includes additional disclosures on private education loans. with information about college financing options, warnings about risky or private loans, to help students make informed decisions about their choices so they get the best deal that's available to them under current law. i'm also pleased the underlying bill will improve exit counseling for student loan repayment. unfortunately many students default on what could otherwise

be manageable levels of debt because they don't understand the repayment options. the excel act would make simple income-based repayment the default option which would reduce paper work and administrative overhead and prevent the unfortunately occurrence and make payments more affordable for students. this will help students understand that they have many options to pay bark their loans and then them make the choice that's best for them. these bills are a step forward, but affording college education requires a lot more progress than a full staff. we need to make enormous progress to reverse the trend of the last few decades that have led to five times the cost of college inflation adjusted since 198. i wish i could be here before you to say that these bills will fix that. mr. speaker, i'm sorry to say that they'll help, but they alone will not turn around the alarming trend that's making college harder and harder for

middle class families to afford. . i oppose the rule and call upon this body to allow a full and open debate on the higher education act and esea and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from colorado reserves his time. the gentlelady from north carolina, ms. foxx, is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield four minutes to the gentleman from arizona, mr. salmon, the prime sponsor on one of these bills. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for four minutes. mr. salmon: i thank the speaker. i rise in support of the rule and the underlying bill, h.r. 313 , the advancing competency based education demonstration project of 2014. i'd like to thank chairman kleine and the subcommittee chairman -- chairman kline and their subcommittee chairman fox for their support on this legislation. i appreciate representative polis and all of his fine work. this truly is a bipartisan bill.

i would also like to state how proud i am to be part of a body that has actually taken its job very, very seriously for the hard times that most americans have fallen upon. i'm proud that over the course of the last year and a half since i rejoined the congress, that we passed over 320 bills, 30 of them -- excuse me, 30 of them that would create jobs in this economy immediately that are languishing in the majority leader of the senate's drawer and have no action taken. a lot of the american public are frustrated and they have begun to calling this the to-nothing congress. let me tell you, half the congress, the house, is actually doing its work. when it comes to the appropriation bills, which we are required by our rules and our laws to do every year, the house will have done its duty by the end of this year in passing all the appropriation bills. and i think we have done 10 so

far. i believe the senate hasn't done any. so i think that when it comes to dealing with the cost of higher education, this is a big step in the right direction. we are aware of the costs of higher education. it's grown by more than 500% since 1985 compared to an overall inflation rate of 112%. federal regulation greatly impede the efforts to reduce the cost of a college degree. as a result we've got to implement policies to allow institutions to be innovative in developing new models of education instead of continuing with the status quo, because the status quo is not working. that's why i introduced the advancing competency based education demonstration project of 2014 with my colleagues, representative polis and representative brooks. this important bipartisan legislation will set up a pilot project to allow institutions to more easily develop innovative ways to deliver education to their students. h.r. 3136 is the first step in

allowing students to earn a degree and enter the job market sooner based on their knowledge and skill set rather than seek time in the classroom. my bill will direct the secretary of education to implement a demonstration project and await regulatory requirements that impede innovations that might decrease costs to students. the program would allow colleges to provide college credit to students who could prove competencies through prior work and life experience rather than a specified amount of time in the classroom. in our field hearing that we held in arizona, two of our college presidents from arizona state university and university of arizona said that this will immensely help them to be able to get students through their degree programs quicker based on their competency. they all agreed that the group of people that will probably help more than anybody else in america are our returning veterans, because they come with certain skill sets that they don't get credit for. i'd like to talk one minute

about how that process works because i had it work in my life. i served a mission for my church to taiwan when i was a young man. i came back fluent in mandarin chinese. it didn't make a lot of sense for me to go through chinese 101 and learn how to say where's the bathroom with the other kids when i could already speak fluent mandarin chinese. i was able to test out of that by demonstrating my competency of being fluent in the language and i got just about an entire semester's worth of credit. that's what we are talking about here. people who have been in the military, people at other jobs they have had where they have been able to learn skills that don't necessarily translate into book work, but they are a lot more proficient at those skills than a lot of kids that are in the classroom. this is going to cut through a lot of the garbage and allow people to be able to get those degrees earlier and thereby reducing their costs. this legislation passed out of the education and work force committee by a voice vote and it

allows higher education institutions to explore more innovative ways to deliver education, measure quality, and disburse financial aid based on actual learning. it provides flexibility to the schools looking to provide students a more personalized cost-effective education, and i think that's what we are all here for. i thank the speaker for entertaining my ideas. i thank the gentlewoman for giving me the time. i yield back the balance of my time. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlelady from north carolina reserves. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. polis: mr. speaker, if we defeat the previous question i will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up h.r. 458 , mr. tierney's bill, to enable millions of students, graduates, parents and minnle class families to responsibly finance their existing student loans. to discuss our proposal i'd like to yield three minutes to the gentleman from massachusetts, the ranking member of the education and work force subcommittee on health, employment, labor, and pensions,

mr. tierney. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized for three mitchts. mr. tierney: i thank the gentleman for yielding on that. mr. speaker,dy file an amendment to this bill that would be considered today. quite simply what it does is provide existing student loan borrowers the opportunity to responsibly refinance their high interest debt to a lower interest obligation, like homeowners and car owners are able to do all the time. the amount is based on legislation that i filed here in the house and my colleague liz liz warren, filed in the senate. we have over 130 co-sponsors here in the house and dozens of respected educational groups and organizations to support this measure. the amendment would help students and parents save real money. the congressional research service, a middle class undergraduate student with an average loan debt would save more than $4,000 over the life of a loan. a typical graduate student would save more than $2,500. a parent who borrowed money to

help pay for the education would save more than $3,500. these are real savings and real dollars. no doubt they are going to be directly invested back into the community. the center for american progress estimated that refinancing just the federal student loans, not the parents, would pump $21 billion back into the economy. it helps taxpayers, too. the congressional budget office, nonpartisan congressional budget office, said over 10 years it would save taxpayers $22 billion. so the proposal is a good deal for taxpayers, it's a good deal for students and parents, it's a good deal for the economy. the real question here, why is there an urgency to move this legislation because the benefits to the economy are huge, the savings to taxpayers are real. despite all this, the republican leadership blocked this amendment from coming to the floor for consideration today. by blocking that amendment the republican leadership has denied every member in this chamber the ability to vote on this important measure and show that they are standing with the people, with the students, with the parents, with the economy at

large and people who want to take benefit of this legislation. worse, by blocking this amendment, the republican leadership denies relief to tens of millions of college students and parents and middle class families across the country who would benefit from the provisions of the bill that we would offer. mr. speaker, that's unacceptable. unfortunately, it's becoming more and more common in the house here as it looks like republicans refuse to stand with middle class families and those that aspire to the middle class. instead of putting politics before everything. instead of debating my amendment and the provisions of it that would help middle class families, republicans are finding some way to sue the president of the united states. if you were to take that measure and skt public would you rather have relief and allow people to write down, refinance their loans, to a more reasonable interest rate as parents, undergraduate students, graduate students, and parents of students, would you rather do that or would you rather pursue some suit against the president which doesn't make any sense and isn't going to have any effect and doesn't work to get them real relief in things that

matter to them in their lifetime today? we are not doing what we should be doing this afternoon, mr. speaker. we should be putting politics aside. we should be allowing this amendment. we should be allowing every member of this house to vote on it. i believe if we get a strong bipartisan vote of support if we did that. i ask my colleagues to not vote on the previous question, to allow us to insert this amendment and move forward. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from colorado reserves his time. the gentlelady from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i believe the gentleman from massachusetts is quite well aware that his amendment was not germane to this bill. mr. speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, mr. royce. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for two minutes. mr. royce: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to thank the education and work force committee for bringing up h.r. 4984, the empowering students through enhanced counseling act. i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill.

within the past year i have held two paying for college workshops in my district, and these districts -- these district events have attracted hundreds of parents and students. i have noticed the parents take more careful notes during these workshops. but all of them were eager, all who attended were eager to learn about how to finance college tuition. from the free application for federal student aid, to understanding the multiple grant and loan programs, many students and parents struggled to understand this very complicated process. and i think that that's why this bill is important. the empowering students through enhanced counseling act. with total student debt now over $1 trillion is critical to equip students and parents with proper interactive counseling so that they have the knowledge to make responsible and informed decisions when borrowing. understanding the terms and conditions for the pell grants.

understanding what an individual's financial obligations are after graduating. these are key to helping students and parents understand and manage financial health well beyond college. and i, again, would like to thank representative brett guthrie and representative suzanne bonamici, for their joint work on this bill. and i'd like to express my support not only for their bipartisan endeavor, but for the other higher education bills before the floor this week. these bills work to strengthen our education policy. as education is one of the most important investments an individual can make, we must ensure that students and parents are able to make financially responsible choices. we must make sure they understand about the pell grants and other such programs available to them, along with the other higher education bills before this floor. let's improve the current

system. i urge my colleagues to support the bill. thank you, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady from north carolina reserves. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. polis: mr. speaker, i am eam proud -- i'm proud to yield three minutes to the gentleman from texas, the ranking member of the education and work force subcommittee on higher education and work force training, mr. hinojosa. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for three minutes. mr. hinojosa: mr. speaker, i rise today to express my strong support of h.r. 5134, legislation which would re-authorize two advisory committees within the u.s. department of education for one year. the national advisory committee on institutional quality and ciqi, playsnown as na vitally important roles to the secretary of education and congress and would not otherwise be extended through the general education provisions act when the higher ed act expires this

year. for example, it advises the secretary of education on matters related to postsecondary aconsidered as read tation and certification -- accreditation and certification process to participate in federal student aid programs. the advisory committee on student financial assistance provides advice and counsel on federal student financial and aid policy to both congress and the secretary of education, including the recommendations for increasing college access and persistence to higher ed for low income and moderate income students. as ranking member of the subcommittee on higher education and work force training, i take -- i want to thank chairman klein, the ranking member, george -- chairman kline, and the ranking member, george miller, and ranking member fox for their leadership on this issue. although i will continue to fight for a more comprehensive re-authorization of higher education act, i believe that this bill as well as the other

three higher education bills being voted on this week make some key improvements to the higher education act. so with that i urge my colleagues to support the passage of h.r. 5134. i reserve the balance of my time. . i yield about a -- i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from colorado reserves. the gentlelady from north carolina, ms. foxx, is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for as much time as she wishes to use. ms. foxx: mr. speaker, the higher education landscape in america is changing to meet the demands of the ever more technologically engaged student population. as well as meeting the needs of adults who are coming back to college after some time in the work force. one of the most exciting innovations is competency-based education, which takes traditional degrees in college courses and maps them to specific skill sets or knowledge pieces known as

competencies. a student progresses through a course by mastering these skill sets and obtaining the knowledge to prove they understand the concept. many of these students are individuals returning to college after an interrupted first attempt where they dropped out of college. and as mr. salmon said, many are veterans with skills that have not yet been equated to course work. now they hope toimprove their skills and further their -- hope to improve their skills and further their careers but these adults have already been learning skills along the way through their jobs and life experiences. competency-based education allows students to move quickly through concepts they understand and spend more time focusing on skills that they need. additionally, many of these programs apply the skills or concepts to real-world problems that students may have faced in their workplaces or in their families which help create a habit of continual learning and application.

while well-intentioned, federal regulation has often gotten in the way of innovative programs because it cannot account for the rapid change taking place. that is why my colleague, representative salmon, has authored h.r. 3136, the advancing competency-based education demonstration project act. this legislation will promote this innovation by directing the secretary of education to implement pilot projects for competency-based programs that will deliver greater flexibility to institutions that want to provide students with a more personalized education experience. the bill will ensure accountability by requiring annual evaluations of each of these projects to determine program quality and ensure student achievement. my hope is that these projects will better inform our re-authorization of the higher education act by giving us proven results of what works and what does not work in the

current regulatory framework. additionally, it will help inform our discussions around financial aid and what learning in the 21st century classroom looks like. i worked in higher education for many years and thought these changes were imminent long ago. but higher education change in the past has occurred at a leisurely pace. it is exciting today finally to see some of the ideas and concepts that have been around for years being more widely tested and finding success. in our country, there are 4.6 million jobs going unfilled because employers are not able to find individuals with the right skill sets to meet their needs. as these individuals come back to school to improve their skills, we should find ways to recognize and give credit for what they've already learned to help them move through the process more quickly. this bill will help students do just that, by providing flexibility to institutions to

create programs that meet those needs and holding them accountable for the results. for these reasons i urge my colleagues to support this rule and the underlying bills and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from north carolina reserves her time. . the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: thank you, mr. speaker. it's my honor to yield two minutes to the gentleman from texas, the ranking member of the education and work force subcommittee on higher education and work force training, my esteemed colleague, mr. hinojosa. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for two minutes. mr. hinojosa: mr. speaker, i also rise today to express my strong support for h.r. 4983, the strengthening transparency in higher education act. the underlying bill strengthens data transparency in higher education by establishing a new college dashboard website which replaces the network navigator and ensures the inclusion of

nontraditional students in data metrics. the college dashboard website will provide better and more accessible information for the students and for the families. key information will consist of enrollment and completion data on full-time and part-time by pell recipients, race and ethnicity and information on net price, average student loan debt and the college costs. this bill promotes transparency on the use of adjunct faculty. for the first time our nation's colleges will be required to report the ratio of part-time to full-time instructors by degree level. in addition, this legislation creates a more accessible calculator with clearer and more individualized information on student costs. finally, the bill requires that

the college dashboard website be consumer tested with other agencies and students and institutions and experts to ensure it provides understandable and relevant information. i am proud to say that texas has been a leader in this area. the university of texas system, for example, has developed an impressive college productivity dashboard designed to increase transparency and to measure productivity in a more effective way. above all, the u.t. system's dashboard system also provides students, families and policymakers with robust data and information that they can use to make more informed decisions. having better data -- i ask for 30 more seconds. mr. polis: i yield an additional 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for 30 seconds. mr. hinojosa: thank you. having better data and information has allowed texas university to identify achievement gaps and to make improvements in areas that need reform. more accurate data on college

participation and completion, for instance, can help to improve student outcomes, particularly for low income students and students of color. in closing, i applaud chairman kline and ranking member miller and ranking member foxx for working in a bipartisan manner to advance this legislation. i urge my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of h.r. 4983 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from colorado reserves his time. and the gentlelady from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for as much time -- for as much time as she wishes to use. ms. foxx: the other bill to be considered under this rule is h.r. 4984, the empowering students through enhanced financial counseling act, which will promote financial literacy through enhanced counseling for all recipients of federal financial aid. making the decision to pursue a postsecondary education can be challenging and many students

and families find themselves overwhelmed by the choices and new terminology. it is in the best interest of students and taxpayers alike that information about federal aid be presented in a way that is easily understood. additionally, for most students, federal financial aid provides them with more money than they are used to handling and they struggle with how to manage properly their debt loads and living expenses. students wanted to be treated as independent adults and therefore assume the responsibility that comes with their choices. as they make the transition to college or back to the classroom for adult learners, this bill seeks to help students make smart decisions about financing their education so they fully understand the circumstances they may face at the completion of their education. this legislation ensures that borrowers, both students and parents, who participate in the federal loan programs receive interactive counseling each year that is personalized to their individual situation, as well as review their loans each

year and consent br receiving new federal -- and consent before receiving new federal student loans. it expands counseling for students who receive a pell grant and directs the secretary of education to maintain and share consumer-tested, online counseling tools institutions can use to provide annual loan and pell grant counseling as well as exit counseling. mr. speaker, it may surprise members in this chamber that i was first person in my family to graduate from high school and go to college, where i worked full-time and attended school part-time. it took me seven years to earn my bachelor's degree and i continue to work my way through my master's and doer torl degrees -- dock torl degrees -- doctoral degrees. this is the greatest country in the world for many reasons, not the least of which is a person like me who grew up extremely poor in a house with no electricity or running water, with parents with little formal education and no prestige at all, could work hard and be

elected to the united states house of representatives. that's why i am passionate about ensuring that students have the opportunity to get an education, but also understand the responsibility they're assuming in taking out a loan and the implications it may have on their family for years to come. throughout my career serving low-income, first-generation students, i know how rewarding an education can be and this bill provides extra tools to help those students fully understand their commitments. therefore i urge my colleagues to support the rule and the underlying bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. -- the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from colorado is recognized. mr. polis: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the record along with extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. polis: mr. speaker, i yield myself the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. for the remainder of his time. mr. polis: mr. speaker, this congress is best characterized

by missing opportunities. whether it's balancing our budget, whether it's immigration reform or in the context of education, which is the primary issue i work on here on the committee and in this institution, the opportunity to re-authorize and replace no child left behind with a federal education policy that works for our country, and to replace the higher education re-authorization act with a bill that makes college for affordable for american families. today's considerations, while good bills, and i'm particularly honored to have my bill with mr. salmon on the floor of the house and look forward to managing that and discussing its merits later and encourage a strong bipartisan vote of support, the tragedy is is that we are nibbling around the edges. and not dealing with the core of the issues that the american people demand that congress deal with. when we look at congressional approval ratings of 12% we need go no further in explaining those, that the hesitancy of

this body to solve or address any of the major issues that i hear from my constituents on on a daily basis. if this congress was serious, we could put h.r. 15, our bipartisan immigration reform bill, on the floor of this house, i'm confident it would pass. if this body was serious, we could put the employment nondiscrimination act, bipartisan bill, on the floor of this house to prevent companies across our country from firing americans, simply because of who they date or love in their private lives, on the floor of this house, and it would pass. and we could begin, it's not easy work, but the worthwhile work of working together, democrats and republicans, on re-authorizing esea, no child left behind, and replacing our broken federal education policy with a constructive approach that works for kids across our country and re-authorizing the higher education act. what would be those principles ehind re-authorizing the esea?

i think there's a lot of good ideas from both sides of the aisle. with no child -- when no child left behind was signed into law by george bush it was a step forward for transparency and accountability. but even in the immediate aftermath it was clear that congress didn't get everything right. rather than improving it and adjusting it, it's been frozen from time cap sewell 2001. secretary duncan has done what he can with the broad authority of waivers and i hope that my republican colleagues agree that any administration, not just this president, with that kind of ability should not be the intent of lawmakers, we should address the flaws in the act. i think any president, democrat or republican, is doing what they can with the bill -- law, such as it is, but the real answer doesn't lie with an administration. it lies with congress. it lies in congress altering

and changing the a.y.p. formula. what does real accountability look like? it should look at growth over time, how much students are learning, what should esea contain, should promote innovation and excellence, it should expand and replicate what works in public education and the most promising thing we have is that we have examples of schools that work with at-risk kids from every demographic that outperform their piers and prepare kids for college -- peers and prepare kids for college and the work force. and we need to change what doesn't work in public education. shining a light isn't enough. having a broad stroke of a.y.p. and policy levers and penalties that are unconnected to actually improving schools doesn't work. but we need to begin the difficult work of turning around persistently failing schools to ensure that every child across our country has access to a good education. that's the work we're not

doing. it's the work we're not doing in this bill, it's the work we haven't done in committee in any meaningful way. and it joins the litany of issues that i hear about from my constituents on a daily basis. as this congress -- has this congress balanced the budget? no. has this congress resolved our immigration crisis and we've seen the temperature increase with tens of thousands of young people on our southern border? no, we haven't taken a single step. in fact, this congress hasn't even passed or brought to the floor or debated a single immigration bill. . for a while we were hearing there would be a quote-unquote piecemeal approach to immigration reform. we are nearing the end of the 113th congress, we haven't seen a single piece. i don't know what kind of meal that is, but it's not one that satisfies one's appetite and it doesn't satisfy the appetite of the voters to see congress deal with immigration reform, secure

our border, and replace the system with one that works for our contry. people in the education world, teachers, students, families, school board members, principals across our country all know what i hope my colleagues know that esea is broken. the no child left behind doesn't work. it has flaws that aren't ideological. they aren't democrats say this or republicans say this. it has formulas that don't make sense to anybody. the formula namely that declares the nearly every public school in our country is a failure. that could be something that we -- some people might want to say rhetoricically, but i don't think you'll find too many democrats or republicans say every problem school in the country is a failure. 95% of them, i think there are a few small one that is got through. but this apparatus has been set up that's nearly impossible for schools to meet, which is requiring that every student cohort achieve proficiency now.

sounded good. congress mandated that every student become proficient, but it shouldn't be a great surprise it didn't happen. so it's time to replace that with something that makes sense. people rhetoricically want to say all public schools are failing on either side of the aisle, they are welcomed to it, but i think we know the reality is more nuanced. there are good public schools and poorly performing public schools. the way you treat and deal with a good public school and public policy is not to say it's a failing one. should be to praise it. you can say they are doing a great job. you can pat them on the back of the you can challenge them to do more. but it's a very different policy response to a persistently failing high school where six out of 10 kids who go in the door in ninth grade don't graduate. that school is doing their community a disservice, and only increasing the rampant inequality of opportunity that plagues our country. instead of relying on temporary

fixes and marginal improvements, i encourage this congress to take on the real issues, take on immigration reform, take on balancing the budget. and in this context take on esea, replace our broken education law, no child left behind w. a bipartisan bill that we can be proud of and will endure for the next decade. replace the higher education act with a bipartisan bill that actually makes substantive progress around reducing the cost of college. i want to thank ranking member miller and chairman kleine. i encourage my colleagues to vote -- chairman kline. i encourage my colleagues to vote against the rule and yes on both these bipartisan bills. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlelady from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for as much time as she wants to use. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. we have worked in a bipartisan

fashion on this legislation that is before us today and on some other legislation. yesterday the president signed h.r. 803 which we call the skills act, when it left the house. i'm very proud of that and the president talked about how happy he was to sign that bill and how doing things in a bipartisan fashion felt so good. but my colleague across the aisle keeps talking about the congress. and as he well knows but sometimes is not presented accurately to the american people, the congress consists of two chambers, the house of representatives and the senate. the house of representatives as evidenced by what we are doing here today is very serious about doing our work. on average the house is holding 37 hearings every week.

fulfilling our oversight responsibilities. we have passed 321 bills that are sitting in the senate and ot being taken up by senator reid who's responsible for stopping meaningful legislation that will reduce energy costs and help create jobs in this country. the record of house republicans on fiscal issues is second to none. we have cut discretionary spending every year since taking control of the house. we have proposed reforms to many of our entitlement programs. if the gentleman is sincere in his desire for a balanced budget, i ask him to work with his ranking member on the budget committee to propose such a path. house republicans have voted to support a pathway to balance. democrats have voted to raise tax -- taxes on hardworking americans while never reaching

balance. mr. speaker, there is much work that needs to be done in this country, and we are facing lots of challenges. i believe that education is the most important tool americans at any age can have. it was a privilege to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the education committee to advance legislation that seeks to meet the needs of today's student population as well as providing accountability for hardworking taxpayer dollars invested. and i think the record of the education and work force committee is very clear, when our colleagues across the aisle will work with us, we move legislation. no legislation's perfect, and that's why i look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to address their concerns and improve this legislation through the amendment process. additionally, i look forward to working with my colleagues in the senate to find common ground on advancing higher education

reform that will improve the opportunities and results for students and provide accountability for taxpayers. however, these bills provide a good foundation to work from and as a proud supporter of this legislation, i urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this rule and the underlying bills. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time and i move the previous question on the resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on ordering the previous question on the resolution. so many as are in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: mr. speaker, on that i request a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman from colorado ask for the yeas and nays. mr. polis: i do. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed.

pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. record votes on postponed questions will be taken later. for what purpose does the gentlelady from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 4983, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4983, a bill to simplify and streamline the information regarding institutions of higher education made publicly available by the

secretary of education, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from north carolina, ms. foxx, and the gentleman from texas, mr. hinojosa, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from north carolina. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and include remarks extraneous material on h.r. 4983. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. foxx: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of the strengthening transparencyy and higher act and yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for as much time as she wishes to use. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. the education and work force committee has held 14 hearings on higher education and throughout these hearings it is becoming increasingly clear that students and families face a deluge of data that often provides little to no useful information as they try to make the important decision of where

to pursuit postsecondary education. despite repeated attempts to enhance transparency in the higher education system, students and families still struggle to access important information that will assist in their search for the right college or university. to make matters worse, data is available often ignores a large portion of students enrolled in the post secondary education system or fails to capture crucial information students and families need to view the entire landscape of higher education. that's why my colleague, representative luke messer, and i authored the bill before us today. the strengthening transparency and higher education act attempts to streamline existing federal transparency efforts to avoid duplicative information and confusion for students by creating a consumer tested college dashboard that would display only key information students need when deciding which school to attend, as well as ensure that all students are

appropriately represented in the data presented. taxpayers provide a great deal of money to help students attend the institution of their choice and pursue their fashions. therefore, we should make every effort to see that students have the best information available to help them make good decisions for where to continue their education. the strengthening transparency and higher education act seeks to make that information more accessible and easy to understand. i urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation which passed with bipartisan support out of the education committee. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from north carolina reserves her time. the gentleman from texas is recognized. miss hinojosa: mr. speaker, i rise to -- mr. hinojosa: mr. speaker, i rise to express my support for h.r. 498 , the strengthsening transparency in higher education act. the underlying bill strengthens state of transparency in higher education by establishing a new college dashboard website which

replaces the network navigator and ensures the inclusion of nontraditional students in data matrix. the college dashboard website will provide better and more accessible information for students and families. key information will consist of enrollment and completion data on full-time and part-time udents, as well as those desegregated by pell recipients or race and ethnicity and disability, as well as information on net price average student loan debt and college costs. the bill promotes transparency on the use of adjunct faculty. for the first time our nation's colleges will be required to report the ratio of part-time to full-time instructors by degree level. in addition, this legislation creates a more accessible calculator with clearer, more individualized information on student costs. finally, the bill requires that

the college dashboard website be consumer tested with other agencies and students and institutions and experts to ensure it provides understandable and relevant information. i am proud to say that will texas has been a leader in this area. the university of texas system, for example, has developed an impressive college productivity dashboard designed to increase transparency and to measure productivity in a more effective way. above all, the u.t. system's dashboard system also provides students, families, and policymakers with robust data and information that they can use to make more informed decisions. having better data and information has allowed texas university to identify achievement gaps and to make improvements in areas that need reformed. more accurate data on college participation and completion, for instance, can help to improve student outcomes, particularly for low-income

students and students of color. in closing, i applaud chairman kleine, -- chairman line, ranking member miller, and ranking member foxx for working in a bipartisan manner to advance this legislation. i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of h.r. 4983, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves his time. the gentlelady from north carolina. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i now yield three minutes to my distinguished colleague and co-sponsor for this legislation, mr. messer for indiana. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from indiana is recognized for three minutes. mr. messer: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of this legislation which will provide prospective students with better information to make more informed choices about pursuing their higher education. i want to commend chairman kline and subcommittee chairwoman foxx for bringing this measure forward. i want to thank my colleague, the gentleman from texas, mr. hinojosa, for his leadership on

this topic as well. in modern life, few decisions are bigger than whether to attend college, and which college to attend. the right choice can be a head start towards a strong financial future. the wrong choice can leave a student without a degree and tens of thousands of dollars in debt. there is no magic formula for finding the best fit, but having access to clear and relevant data can make the decision easier and less overwhelming. unfortunately, when making this important choice, students and their families are often faced with a convoluted maze of statistics which don't allow them to fully -- to make fully informed cost conscious decisions. . this lenlslangesslation will ensure that students -- legislation will ensure that students have the information

they need to make good decisions for their future. helping students more easily find the schools that are right for them will encourage their academic success, avoid unnecessary student debt and enhance their professional prospects after graduation. i urge my colleagues to support this measure and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentlelady from north carolina reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. hinojosa: i yield two minutes to the distinguished member from the education committee, congressman scott from virginia. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from virginia is recognized for two minutes. mr. scott: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in support of h.r. 4983, the strengthening transparency in higher education act. it is critical that prospective students have access to information on institutions they may be interested in attending and the bill before us would provide the platform for these students to gather this information. this information is essential to ensuring that students will

be able to make an informed decision on which institution to attend. and while providing students with additional information on institutions of higher learning is important, none of the bills before us actually will do anything to actually ensure that every student is given every chance possible of receiving an education past the high school level. student stud have -- studies have shone the value of higher education and have thousand shah 2/3 of the jobs in the future will require education past the high school level. many students today find higher education unaffordable and out of reach due to the increasing -- increasing cost of attending college and to high student loan interest rates. currently the federal government makes a significant profit on student loans with the congressional budget office estimating that the federal government will profit $135 billion over the next 10 years off of student loans. we must continue to ensure that college remains affordable and

accessible to all who seek it and i look forward to working with my colleagues on the education and work force committee towards that goal. the bill before us today, however, i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 4983, the strengthening transparency in higher education act. mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentlelady from north carolina is recognized. to ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker -- ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i now yield two minutes to our distinguished colleague from tennessee, dr. phil roe. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee is recognized for two minutes. mr. roe: thank you, mr. speaker. and thank you, madam chairman. mr. speaker, i rise in strong support of h.r. 4983, the strengthening transparency in higher education act. with the cost of a college education increasing and outstanding student loan debt now at a staggering $1.2 trillion, it is more important than ever for students and their families to have the necessary information to make informed decisions about their educational pursuits.

this legislation empowers students and their families by improving the dissemination of key information about colleges and universities through a consumer-tested college dashboard. this bill coordinates and streamlines information from multiple federal agencies to assist students in comparing schools to determine which will best suit their unique needs. the only college completion rates currently available to students and their families offer the traditional first-time, full-time student. at east tennessee state university in high hometown, only about 60% of the students fit this description, leaving a significant portion of students not represented by the data. completion rates for other groups of students such as veterans and pell grant recipients are included in the college dashboard to ensure that this information is represented to all -- representative to all students. surprisingly, despite spending approximately $32 billion each year to provide pell grants to over nine million students, we

have little information about the educational outcomes for these students. by taking a more thorough look at the results this program is producing, we can improve the likelihood of students' success. in addition to producing -- providing students and parents with better information, this bill will give us new tools to help strengthen the pell grant program while ensuring it's a good investment for taxpayers. to ensure this resource is utilized, students would be provided links to the college dashboard for each prospective school they look at. thus providing this information -- this important information to them at the pinnacle of their college search. i thank the chairwoman and the ranking member on this bipartisan legislation and i encourage its support and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from tennessee yields back his time. the gentlelady from north carolina reserves. and the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. hinojosa: i am honored to yield three minutes to my colleague, congressman holt from new jersey.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for three minutes. mr. holt: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank my friend from texas. this bill creates a new department of education website that includes data allowing prospective students to better understand the cost of specific institutions. and i thank the chairman and the ranking member for working prove this bill before it came to the floor. the current department of education website is incomplete and misleading. the current website does not include the net price to a student according to that student's income level. which could cause and does cause lower and middle class students to reject schools that they in fact could afford. they or their parents would see an average net price, calculated for all students, and immediately assume it's unaffordable for them.

the changes that i've included in this bill would allow a parent or perspective student to find upfront, on the home page, the average net price of attending based on the family's income level. and this information may lead students to consider institutions they would have otherwise excluded. the difference between the average cost calculated for all students and the cost to a student, say, from a $40,000 income level may be many thousands of dollars. now, i should add, in conclusion, that while this bill that we take up today makes some progress, this and the other bills we will be considering fall short of what is really needed, a comprehensive effort to help more students afford college. we should be considering doubling the pell grants,

reducing student loan interest rates and doing all those other things that would be in a comprehensive higher education bill. i'm sorry to say we are ignoring those solutions. nevertheless, i welcome the modest improvements that we will see in the legislation being considered here. and i hope that soon we will get to the comprehensive higher education legislation that the students of america deserve. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey yields back. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentlelady from north carolina. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: continues to reserve. the gentleman from texas. mr. hinojosa: i am honored to yield three minutes to my olleague, congressman from maryland, mr. cummings. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized for three minutes. mr. cummings: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i want to thank the ranking member, hinojosa, for the time

and i thank the chairman and ranking member miller and chairwoman foxx for their hard work on this legislation. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of 4983, the strengthening transparency in higher education act. this legislation will help prospective students and their families by providing more accessible information about the costs of attending our nation's colleges and universities. the bill before us today includes provisions that i authored that will improve a tool already available to help students and their families assess the costs of attending college, the net price calculator. currently students and families have to guess where the calculators are located on the school's web page, what each school calls the calculator, and whether the information it provides is accurate. additionally, veterans and

service members must try to determine whether the estimates provided by such calculators accurately reflect the academic benefits they have earned through their service. as a ranking member of the oversight and government reform committee, one of my roles is to help government work more effectively and efficiently. my bill, the net price calculator improvement act, h.r. 3694, addresses the challenges identified with current net price calculators by ensuring that they will provide consistent and comparable price information for colleges and universities based on up-to-date data. my legislation would also ensure that institutions place the calculators in consistent locations on their websites and it would protect students who use the calculators from data mining. i applaud my colleagues on the education and work force committee for including these ritical provisions in h.r.

4983 and urge the passage of this legislation. as i close, let me note that the bill before us is an important first step in the process of re-authorizing the higher education act and it contains important reforms. however, our work will not be done by simply passing this bill. the bills before the house this week ignore the bread and butter of the federal higher education policy. federal student aid. we must re-authorize the higher education act in its entirety as quickly as possible and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentlelady from north carolina, ms. foxx. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i'll continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: continues to reserve. the gentleman from texas. mr. hinojosa: before i close, i want to say that i look forward to working with my friends on other side of the aisle as soon

as possible so that we can complete in its entirety the re-authorization of higher education, which is greatly needed here in our country. and with that i have no support speakers and yield back the balance of my time -- no more speakers and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back his time. the gentlelady from north carolina is recognized. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i also want to thank our colleagues on both sides of the aisle for working together on what i think has been an important piece of legislation that will help families and students in the future. i want to give particular thanks to the staffs on both sides of the aisle. the education and work force committee has been very active this year and last year on presenting excellent legislation to this house and i want to thank the staff for their good work. with that, mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to vote yes on h.r. 4983 and yield back the balance of my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from north carolina yields back her time. and the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 4983, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentlelady from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 5134, which would extend the national advisory committee on institutional quality and integrity and the advisory committee on student financial assistance for one year. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5134, a bill to extend the national advisory committee on institutional quality and integrity and the advisory committee on student financial assistance for one

year. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlelady from north carolina, ms. foxx, and the gentleman from texas, mr. hinojosa, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from -- the gentlelady from north carolina, ms. foxx. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on h.r. 5134. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. ms. foxx: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 5134, and yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for as much time as she wishes to use. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. while the majority of the higher education act is extended until the end of f.y. 2015 by the general education provisions act, the extension does not apply to two committees authorized under the law. the first committee is the national advisory committee on institutional quality and integrity which advises the secretary of education on a --

on accreditation issues and on which accreditting bodies to approve. the second committee is the advisory committee on student financial assistance which advises both congress and the secretary of education on student financial aid policy. in order to ensure these important advisory committees can continue to serve policymakers, representative hinojosa and i authored h.r. 5134 to extend both of these committees for one year. . with that, mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this simple extension and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves her time of the the gentleman from texas, mr. hinojosa, is recognized. mr. hinojosa: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for as much time as he wishes to consume. mr. hinojosa: mr. speaker, i rise today to express my strong support of h.r. 5134, the legislation which would re-authorize two advisory committees within the u.s.